By Sam MacGilpin
@sam_macgilpin
The only way to go is up. The Springfield College men’s lacrosse team has gone 0-8 for the first time in head coach Keith Bugbee’s 41-year tenure. The Pride dropped their eighth game of the season on Tuesday, falling to Middlebury 23-15.
Springfield got the first goal on the board, credit to a Kevin Tierney crease dump from Bryan Strensrud, as Stensrud had a day behind the net with two goals and an astounding seven assists. The first-year also got his first-ever collegiate start, and Bugbee was pleased with Stensrud’s play.
“We’ve liked [Stensrud] from day one,” Bugbee said. “He’s just a freshman. He’s our truest X guy, especially because of the way he sees the field.
The Pride looked to control the pace, but Middlebury took their idea and ran with it. The Panthers scored eight unanswered goals, all in the first quarter before Brady Soldo put one in the back of the net for the Pride. Springfield had only four possessions in the quarter.
When it looked like there was hope for the Pride, Middlebury fired back with nine second-quarter goals and took an 18-3 lead heading into the second half. Quick offensive possessions for the Pride ultimately dwindled Springfield’s defense down, and it was looking towards an onslaught — but the Pride wasn’t going down without a fight.
In the previous seven games combined, Springfield had been outscored in the third quarter 26-13, easily their worst quarter this season. This time around, it seemed as if the game had restarted. Multiple productive possessions by the Pride put a dent into Middlebury’s lead, including two straight snipes by Jake Degnan from Stensrud. Stensrud had a pair of finishes to follow, and Springfield outscored Middlebury 8-3 in the third.
“It’s just been a really interesting year. We play so many good teams, and it’s just about maintaining our toughness,” Bugbee said. “I’ve talked about this before. We don’t play for 60 minutes. We keep going in the right direction, but it has to pick up.”
The fourth quarter was another quarter commanded by the Pride, but the night’s biggest surprise was the play from the Pride’s first-year class.
After the Panthers went on a scoring run, first-year close defenseman Jayden Ginsberg got a pass after a successful clear, slithered around two defenders at midfield, and ran to a straight-away goal pinned past the keeper. The goal marked Ginsberg’s first of his career, along with solid defensive efforts, as he shut down any chance for his man to score.
Eight of Springfield’s 15 goals were scored by first-years, and all 10 of the assists came from the young talent that the Pride possesses.
“[The freshmen are] exciting,” Bugbee said. “Good, strong, tough kids. This is great for our future.”
Three more goals were tallied for the Pride late in the fourth as they would go on to make it a respectable game in the end.
“If they want to play like that, which I believe they want to, they can do it. I hope so. [Middlebury is] a really good team. We just dominated for a half,” Bugbee said. In some games, we get out of the gate and then take a third-quarter off. In other games, it’s reversed. We have to find consistency.”
Playing a really good team is a familiar territory for the Pride. Springfield has faced six teams that have been nationally ranked at least one time this season. Although sitting at 0-8, Springfield has more than half of their NEWMAC games remaining with a chance to make the playoffs.
The Pride have their next game against NEWMAC opponent MIT this Saturday on Stagg Field at 1 p.m.
Photo by: Ella Travaglino